Adekale Ande, Campus Carrier Reporter
Senior center Owen Jacobs has been a key part of the Berry men’s basketball team. Jacobs recently eclipsed the 1,000-point mark in his career at Berry. Jacobs is the first Berry player since Jess Mullens in 2008 to surpass 1,000 career points, and is also is the first player in Berry’s Division III history to complete this feat. I had the opportunity to talk with him about his time here at Berry. Here is what he has to say.
Q: Why Berry? What has Berry done for you and your game?
A: “I was originally supposed to come here out of high school, but I got an offer from another school at the last minute. I wish I came here originally, but it didn’t work out. I really just love everything about Berry. I love my teammates and it’s really just been an honor being able to be a part of the program for the last three years.”
Q: How have you grown as a player here at Berry?
A: “It’s been a really fun experience for me. We started off, Lee [McCloud] and me, our first year we were not very good. This year we have transitioned to winning some games finally. Hopefully we can make a run in the tournament. We’ve got good coaches and good teammates. Hopefully we can get it done this year.”
Q: What is your role on the team?
A: “Being a senior, I feel like I need to be a leader for the other guys, both on and off the court and just really doing whatever the team needs me to do. Probably rebounding would be my main thing right now. We’ve got guys that play their roles pretty good on the team, so if we can all put those together we’ll be pretty good.”
Q: What challenges have you faced here at Berry on and off the court?
A: “Like I said, the first couple years here on the court we were really struggling to win games but the team remained tight-knit, so that made it a little better. Off the court, probably trying to balance academics. I’m double majoring in secondary education and history, trying to balance that while playing basketball and going on road trips, stuff like that. It has been tough, but it’s been worth it.”
Q: What does this 1000th career point mean to you?
A: “It really means a lot to me, but it’s more a testament to my teammates, they give me the ball. Another one of my roles is to put the ball in the hole. Also, I want to dedicate this to my family. My grandpa, he’s really been keeping up with it, coaching me since I was five years old. My parents and grandparents, they made just about every game since I’ve been here, so I’m really glad I could do that for them in my last year as well.”